The impact of the surroundings on the progression of lung cancer might be greater than previously envisioned. Scientists from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the University of California, San Diego, found that genomic alterations in malignant tumors have become more prevalent among individuals who have never smoked. Researchers link this to decreasing air quality.
The trial included 871 non-smoking lung cancer patients from 28 geographical locations across the globe. Those residing in large urban centers more often exhibited alterations in the TP53 gene and other mutations that result in cancer. Although it was previously believed that such changes were characteristic only of smokers and those exposed to secondhand smoke.
The authors suggest that due to air pollution by fine particles, including emissions from industrial production and transportation, mutations occur that cause lung cancer. Moreover, the mutagenicity of the air is even stronger than that of passive smoking. This clarifies why malignant neoplasms in the lungs arise in 25% of cases among never-smoking patients.
The NIH believes these findings will help in better grasping the development mechanisms of lung cancer across different population segments.
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